Parents have widely varying attitudes about serving liquor to their children and, on occasion, to their children’s friends. Some believe allowing underage drinking sets a bad precedent, while others consider it a meal ritual that can encourage moderation. Many parents prefer their children drink at home to avoid drinking and driving or other dangerous situations.

But does providing alcohol to minors lead to excessive drinking, and will it result in other problems later in life for these individuals?

About 709,000 middle-schoolers drank alcohol last month, nearly 45% of them in their own homes. While some snuck into the liquor cabinet, about 16% obtained alcohol directly from a parent or guardian, says a recent report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The study also found that 72% of high-school students have had at least one drink. Fewer U.S. teens drink than during the 1980s, but today’s teens are more likely to binge drink and prefer hard liquor over beer or wine. Nearly 94% of middle-school drinkers obtained their liquor for free.

We know that early drinking can lead to problem drinking later on. According to a National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiology Survey, published in 1998 in the Journal of Substance Abuse, those who begin drinking alcohol before age 15 are six times more likely to develop alcohol problems than those who start at age 21.

A Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Surveillance Summary reported that the younger a person begins drinking alcohol, the more likely he or she is to engage in risky behavior, such as using drugs like marijuana and cocaine, having sex with six or more partners and getting mostly Ds and Fs in school. Each year, approximately 5,000 people under age 21 die as a consequence of underage drinking. Motor vehicle crashes account for about 1,900 deaths, homicides account for 1,600 and 300 from suicides. The remainder dies from other injuries such as falls, drownings and burns.

One study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that teens who attended parties where alcohol was supplied by a parent were twice as likely to be both regular drinkers and binge drinkers. However, teens who drank along with parents over meals and on special occasions were only one-third as likely to binge as the party drinkers.